Sheet feeding and registering mechanism



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Ar a/243575 June 25, 1957 H. J. SEEL SHEET FEEDING AND REGISTERING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 10, 1953 14 Sheets-Sheet 12 INVENTOR. //0W/I/?0 [5554 June 25, 1957 H. J. SEEL 2,797,094

SHEET FEEDING AND REGISTERING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 10, 1:953 14 Sheets-Sheet 13 INVENTOR. flown/20 155a .BYMMQ June 25, 1957 H. .1. SEEL SHEET FEEDING AND REGISTERING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 10, 1953 14 Sheets-Sheet 14 INVENTOR. #0144420 1' 1521-2 G Mrmeawrs yc m nited States PatentO SHEET FEEDING AND REGISTERING MECHANISM Howard 5. See], Chagrin Falls, Ohio, assignor to Harris- Seybold Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Appiication August it), 1953, Serial No. 373,192

2% Claims. (Cl. 271-55) This invention relates to improvements in sheet feeding and registering mechanism for use with a high speed sheet handling machine such as' a printing press, especially mechanism for feeding and registering metal sheets or sheets of other material having considerable mass.

One of the objects of the invention is the feeding of sheets in a manner to provide accuracy of registration required for multicolor printing and for other subsequent treatment of the sheets. To this end it is an object of the invention to provide a reciprocating carriage upon which are mounted one or more back gauges which push the sheet forward at the speed of the sheet handling machine for a considerable portion of sheet travel to enable the moving sheet to settle against the back gauges, the drive to the carriage comprising a train of gears operatively connected with a gear on the sheet handling machine, said train of gears having backlash gears adjustably mounted thereon for eliminating lost motion and assuring register within a matter of two or three thousandths of an inch.

Another object is the provision of feeding and registering means of a character such that the sheets are accelerated gradually and smoothly and the rear edges of the sheets are not dented or otherwise damaged.

A further object is the provision of side registering means mounted upon the carriage and travelling forward with the back gauges, effective substantially throughout the uniform travel of the back gauges.

Still another object is the provision of simple adjustments enabling the operator to change from the control of the sheets by the back gauges to control by stops and grippers on the impression cylinder of the printing press or other sheet handling machine, in other Words from rear registration to front registration, this being important in the event that the sheet is to be treated subsequently by other equipment in which the registration of the sheet is at the forward end thereof.

Another object is the provision of mechanism effective throughout the travel of the back gauges for controlling the vertical position of the gauges, that is above and below the path of the sheet.

Another object is the provision of means functioning during forward travel of the sheet carriage for moving the side gauges inwardly to gauging position.

Other objects and features of novelty will appear as I proceed with the description of that embodiment of the invention which, for the purposes of the present application, I have illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figs. 1 and 1a are plan views of the left and right sides of a feeding and registering mechanism embodying the invention, certain parts being omitted and others shown in section in order to more clearly illustrate the invention.

Fig. 1b is a fragmental plan view on a larger scale, illustrating one of the back gauges and one of the side gauges with portions of their operating mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same, showing ice diagrammatically the reciprocating back gauges as they are about to take a sheet from the means for preliminarily advancing it.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the beginning of constant speed travel of the back gauges.

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing a sheet at the point at which it enters the printing couple of the press but is still controlled by the back gauges.

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the sheet in the grasp of the sheet grippers on the impression cylinder of the press, with the back gauges depressed and about to travel rearwardly.

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view illustrating the gearing by which the forward and reverse motion shafts are driven from the impression cylinder for operating the rack and pinion forwardly and backwardly.

Fig. 7 is an elevational view partly in section illustrating the pinion for reciprocating the rack with a backlash preventing pinion attached thereto, and a gib for holding the rack against the pinion.

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view, partly broken away and partly in section, illustrating the means for holding the back gauges in operative position during their constant speed forward travel and for holding them retracted during their rearward travel.

Fig. 9 is a detail plan view illustrating the adjustment of a back gauge stop for rear register.

Fig. 10 is an elevational view showing mechanism for oscillating a shaft which controls the inward and outward movement of the side gauges for the traveling sheet.

Fig. 11 is a side elevational view, partly broken away, illustrating the setting of the machine for front register, that is to say register against stops on the impression cylinder. Fig. 12 is a fragmental plan view showing the adjustment of the back gauge stops for front register.

Fig. 13 is a detail elevational view with certain parts in vertical section showing one of the side register mechanisms.

Fig. 14 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 1414 of Fig. 13.

Fig. 15 is a detail sectional view of the back gauge elevating and retracting mechanism.

Fig. 16 is a plan view of the same with certain parts omitted.

Fig. 17 is a detail sectional view on a larger scale than Fig. 4, showing the forward edge of the sheet entering the bite of the printing cylinders when the machine is set up for back gauge feed.

Fig. 18 is a similar view of the sheet being taken by the impression cylinder grippers with front end registration.

Fig. 19 is a plan view of the sheet being forwarded under control of the back gauges.

Fig. 20 is a similar view with the machine set up for front gauge feed.

Fig. 21 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a means for locking the adjustable portions of the reciprocating carriage to the reversely travelling racks on either side of the machine.

Fig. 22 is a diagrammatic view showing the means for preliminarily accelerating the sheets for delivery to the reciprocating back gauges and the extent of the constant speed travel of the sheet prior to entering the printing couple.

Fig. 23 is a curve showing the relative speeds of the sheet as advanced by the preliminary conveyors and the reciprocating back gauges.

A brief reference to Figs. 22 and 23 of the drawings may serve to outline the invention at the outset. Sheets are fed one after another from the top of a pile, not shown, by any suitable means onto conveying means for advancing them preliminarily toward the sheet handling machine. This means should operate to advance the sheets gradually and smoothly while increasing their speed of travel. It may embody two or more endless chain conveyors such as are indicated at Zt) and 21, the chains of one conveyor being staggered with relation to those of the other conveyor and each conveyor embodying pushers 22, 23. Conveyor 'runs at a speed less than the speed of the sheet handling machine, indicated in Fig. 23 as printing speed minus (a+b), while conveyor 21 also runs at a speed less than the speed of the sheet handiling machine but faster than that of conveyor 20, indicated in Fig. 23 as printing speed minus a, the conveyors overlapping so that a sheet forwarded by pushers 22 may be taken at aboutthe point p by the faster moving pushers 23 and advanced at the speed of the latter.

Conveyor 21 delivers sheets onto a table indicated at 24, consisting of two or more longitudinal bars over which the sheets are adapted to slide. A pair of back gauges 102 disposed between said longitudinal bars are caused to move forward and backward, being projected above the surface of the bars for forward movement and retracted below the surface during reverse movement. The back gauges are mounted upon a frame or carriage which is reciprocated by means of a rack or pair of racks 42, 43 constituting part of the carriage, each rack being driven by a pinion 50,52 or 51, 53 which oscillates through equal arcs backward and forward for each cycle of the machine. The carriage has a forward travel at constant speed equal to printing speed, through a predetermined distance, a rearward travel at the same constant speed through the same predetermined distance and smooth reverse motion at each end dictated by the profile of actuating cams 199,196, 197 and 198 hereinafter referred to more specifically, the constant speed forward travel being the only part of the carriage motion which is actively employed, except that a sheet advanced by conveyor 21 is taken by the back gauges during the latter part of their acceleration when they are traveling at the same speed as conveyor 21, this point being marked in Fig. 23 by the letter q. As soon as the forward acceleration of the carriage is completed the sheet is fed forward at uniform speed which is the same as printing speed, and it is delivered to the sheet handling machine before the back gauges begin to decelerate.

The 'length of the uniform forward travel of the back gauges, in theform shown, is approximately one third of the maximum sheet to be handled or about one fourth of a cylinder rotation. Of course the machine may be designed to vary the length of uniform travel more or less, but it is important that it be a substantial amount, for travel at the uniform speed of operation of the sheet handling machine gives opportunity for the sheet to settle well against the back gauges and thus be accurately registered at its rear edge, and it is preferred that the uniform forward travel be not less than about one eighth of a cylinder rotation, which corresponds approximately to one sixth of the length of the maximum sheet to be handled.

The present invention has to do primarily with the mechanism traveling back and forth over the table 24. Referring first to Figs. 1 and la, portions of the side frame members of a machine embodying the invention are shown at and 31. 32 is the impression cylinder of a printing machine, having a shaft 33 journaled in the frame members 30 and 31. 34 are sheet grippers of conventional form mounted within the cylinder on a shaft 35 to one end of which is'fixed an arm 36 carrying a follower 37 which runs upon cams 38, 38 which are adjustably secured to frame 30 for purposes which will hereinafter appear.

Longitudinal bars or ways 40 and 41 are fixedly mounted in the frame and are preferably inclined upwardly somewhat toward the printing machine. A pair of racks 42 and 43 with their rack teeth on their under sides are rigidly connected together by two tie rods 44, 7

one only being shown in Figs. 1 and la. The racks and tie rods constitute part of a carriage which reciprocates back and forth, having rollers 45 mounted on stub shafts attached to the racks and running on the inclined bars or ways 40 and 41. A bracket 46 and a gib 47, one ofeach on each end of rack 42 bear against bar 40 to eliminate side motion of the carriage. A series of longitudinal strips or bars, omitted from Figs. 1 and la to simplify the drawing, constitute the table 24 and serve to support the sheets in their forward travel.

A reverse motion shaft 49 is journaled in the opposite frame members 30 and 31. It carries two driving pinions 50 and 51 upon which are adjustably mounted backlash pinions 52 and 53 respectively, both pinions on each side meshing with the racks 42, 43, see especially Fig. 7, so as to eliminate lost motion in the drive from shaft 49 to the racks. Racks 42 and 43 are held in contact with their pinions by gibs 48 secured to frame members.

Referring to Fig. 8, forward of shaft 49 another shaft 55, making one revolution for each machine cycle, is journaled in the side frame members. Between the frame members it carries two double cams 56 and 57 which are adjustable angulanly for timing purposes. Cam 56 is used to raise and lower a track which is disposed below and parallel to table 24 and remains parallel thereto at all times. Cam 56 has an internal cam surface 59 and an external cam surface 60, the latter projecting laterally beyond surface 59. 61 is a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on a shaft 62 supported by the frame. It carries two roller followers 63 and 64 running on the cam surfaces 59 and 60 respectively and turning upon a single spindle. The arm 65 of hell crank 61 at its outer end is pivotally connected at 66 with a downwardly projecting lip on track 75. Near the opposite end of the track there is a downward extension 67 in which is formed a slot 68 which slidably receives a block 69 that is pivoted to one arm of a bell crank 70 which is mounted to oscillate upon a shaft 71 carried by the frame member 30. To the other end of this bell crank there is connected pivotally a rod 72, the opposite end of which is pivotally connected to the lower arm of bell crank 61. The effective length of rod 72 may be varied by means of its threaded connection with the pivot 73 at the lower end of bell crank 70.

The other cam 57 on shaft 55 is used to raise and lower a track 58 which always remains beneath table 24. This cam also is a double cam, having an internal cam surface 76 and an external cam surface 77, the latter projecting laterally beyond the surface 76; see particularly Fig. 10. A pair of roller followers 78, 79 run upon the surfaces 76, 77, being supported by a spindle 80 which is mounted in an arm 81 that is keyed to a shaft 82 which is journaled in fixed bearings in the frame. Shaft 82 also has keyed thereto a bell crank having an upper arm 83 pivotally connected at 84 with one end of track 58 and a lower arm 85 to the free end of which is pivotally connected a rod 86. The opposite end of this rod is pivotally and adjustably connected to the lower arm of a bell crank 87 which is oscillatably mounted on a shaft 88 fixed in the frame. The other arm of this bell crank extends rearwardly to a pivotal connection at 89 with a slide block 90 running in a slot 91 in a downwardly extending projection 92 of track 58. The bell cranks 85 and 87 are of the same length, and when the length of rod 86 is properly adjusted the up and down movement of track 58 will maintain it parallel to the table 24 and to the reciprocating carriage.

The reciprocating carriage, in addition to the racks 42 and 43 and the tie bars 44, comprises certain other parts which will now be described. lear their rear ends there are attached to the racks brackets 94 and 95 which are joined by a tubular rod 96 and a tubular rod 97. Extending through tubular rod 97 and journaled at its ends therein there is a shaft 98. Near each end of this shaft there is keyed a small pinion 99 which meshes with rack teeth 100 cut in the top of each of the channel shaped racks 42 and 43. The brackets 94 and 95 and the parts carried thereby may therefore be adjusted back and forth upon the racks 42, 43 and the correct right angular alignment of those parts will be maintained because of the necessary equal travel of pinions 99 upon rack teeth 100. This adjustment forwardly and backwardly is for the purpose of accommodating sheets of different lengths. When the desired adjustment has been effected the brackets are locked to the racks 42, 43 by means of setscrews 101, which extend through smooth holes in the brackets and are threaded into clamping nuts 93, as shown particularly in Fig. 21. At one end of each clamping nut there is a roughened surface which grips the under side of the upper flange of the rack while the opposite end is held from cocking by a spacer 93'.

Referring to Figs. 11, 15 and 16, back gauges 102, preferably two in number are bolted to a block 103 which is dovetailed to slide forward and backward to a limited extent upon an arm 104. Fixedly mounted in and extending rearwardly from block 103 there is a threaded bar 105 which extends through a hole in a post 106 that is fixed in arm 104. Nuts 107 and 108 are threaded upon bar 105, by means of which the block 103 may be adjusted and secured in adjusted position. This provides a fine adjustment for the back gauges. Differential adjustment of the two back gauges by this means is useful also in the event that a slight skewing of the sheet is necessary to bring the sheet margins into proper relation with a skewed image on the printing cylinder. Arm 104 is loosely mounted upon rod 96. It carries a head 109 which is adapted to bear against a stop 110 carried by ing sheets with rear registration, head 109 is held against stop 110, thus definitely locating back gauge 102 with respect 'to the carriage in order to obtain accurate and uniform rear registration. Near its rear end arm 104 is pivoted to a rod 114 which extends through a noddle pin 115 carried at one end of a lever 116 which is mounted to turn about a pivot 117 carried by an arm 118 on bracket .112. A coil spring 119 surrounds rod 114 and bears at one end against noddle pin 115 and at the other against a collar 117' adjustable upon the rod. This provides means to allow positive contact of head 109 against stop 110 through over travel of lever 116 and which can absorb any unusual shock transmitted through the mechanism.

From bracket 112 there extends upwardly an arm 111 that carries a block 120 which rotatably supports a short shaft 121 on the rear end 'of which there is a block carrying a stop 110 which may be positioned in line with stop 109, as indicated in Fig. 16. Shaft 121 is surrounded by a coil spring 122 which bears against block 120 and against a knurled nut 123 threaded onto the shaft and secured in position by a lock nut 124. By grasping the nm 123 and pushing it inward, spring 122 may be com- 96. At the lower or forward end of lever 116 there is a stud 132 upon which are journaled two roller followers 133 and 134 which bear upon the upper and lower flanges respectively of track 75, it being noted that the lower flange projects laterally beyond the upper flange and that the follower 133 is slightly smaller than the follower 134. Each roller follower bears at all times upon one of the two flanges of the track, so that lost motion 'at this point is eliminated. When the'track 75 is lowered as illustrated in Figs. 8 and 11, lever 116 is turned clockwise and arm 104 with back gauge 102 is tilted upwardly and forwardly in order that the back gauge may contact the rear edge of a sheet and move it forward. On the reverse stroke track 75 is raised, lever 116 is turned counterclockwise and the back gauge is lowered below the surface of the table.

The operating mechanism for the side gauges will now be described. Track 58 is formed similarly to track 75, that is it has a narrow upper flange and a wide lower flange. Upon these flanges roller followers 135 and 136 run, and lost motion is avoided as in the case of track 75. These followers are journaled on a stud 137 carried at the free end of a crank arm 138 which is secured by suitable means to the inner end of a shaft 139 which is journaled in brackets 94 and 95 of the carriage and passes through a hole in bracket 112. As the track 58 moves up and down by virtue of the action of cam 57, as previously described, crank arm 138 is swung and shaft 139 rotated. This oscillation of shaft 139 is utilized to operate side gauge levers 140 and 141 upon which are mounted sheet engaging or registering rollers 142. The mechanism for operating these levers is approximately duplicated on the two sides of the machine, and hence the description of one will largely suffice for both.

Slidable on the cross bars 96 and 97 there is a bracket 143 which may be locked in adjusted positions by means of a clamping screw 144 as clearly appears in Fig. 13. Shaft 1.39 extends loosely through this bracket. A sleeve 145 is slidably keyed to shaft 139 adjacent bracket 143, the two parts being held together by a disk-shaped key 146 integral with a pin 147 that is anchored in the bracket, the key 146 running in a circumferential groove 148- in sleeve 145. Extending upwardly from sleeve 145 is an arm 149 at the upper end of which there are a pair of opposed spherical abutments 150 against which adjustable screws 151 bear. These screws are carried by the bifurcated end members 152 of a horizontal arm 153 which turns upon a vertical pivot 154 mounted upon bracket 143. A rod 155 extends loosely through a noddle block 156 mounted on a pivot 157 in arm 153, block 156 being held against upward movement by a projection 158 on a block 159 secured to arm 153. A nut 160 on the rear end of rod 155 is adapted to engage block 156 and communicate movement to rod 155 when lever 149 moves rearwardly. On the other side of block 156 a coil spring 161 surrounds rod 155 and bears at one end against the block and at the other against a collar 162 on the rod. The forward end of the rod is pivotally con-- nected at 163 with an extension 164 of lever 140 0pposite the pivotal mounting 165 of the lever upon bracket 143. At the rear end of lever 140 there is a stop 166 which is adapted to contact a stop 167 at one end of a threaded rod 168 which projects through a smooth hole in a post 169 that is fixed in bracket 143. On opposite sides of this post nuts 170 and 171 threadably mounted on the rod may be used to adjustably position stop 167.

A forwardly projecting portion 172 of bracket 143 carries a vertical post 173 upon which is mounted a bracket 174, the vertical position of which may be changed and held in the desired position by a setscrew 175. Bracket 174 has a groove 174 in its lower surface which receives the upper end of a stud 177 to hold the bracket against angular movement on its post 173. Bracket 174 has riveted or otherwise secured thereto a sheet metal guide 178 which is inclined somewhat laterally and curved upwardly at its rear end to receive and guide the sheet into position to be contacted by the side registering or gauging roller 142.

The side registering mechanism on the left side of the machine, except for rights and lefts, is identical with that on the right side as shown in Figs. 13 and 14 with mast these dilfefences only, that stop 167 on the left is ret'rac't'ed'and that spring 161 on the right side is stronger than the Spring 161 on the left side. Levers 140 and 141 swing inwardly simultaneously, but when stop 166 on the right side contacts stop 167 no further movement of registering roller 142 on that side is possible. On the left side spring161 in response to the swinging of arm 153 by the rotation of shaft 139 moves registering roller 142 on that side against the edge of the sheet, forcing it toward the right. Spring 161', being weaker than spring 161 however, will yield somewhat if the sheet happens to be wider than average, and if the sheet happens to be narrower than average the space between stops 166 and 167 on the left side of the machine will permit the forward end of lever 140 to swing in far enough to cause register roller 142 to engage the sheet and hold it against the roller 142 on the right hand side.

Reversing rack drive-The drive for the reversing pinions is shown and described in detail in a copending application of James R. Wood, Serial No. 300,272, filed July 22, 1952, now Patent No. 2,687,028. Accordingly, a relatively brief descniption of the drive will be given herein. The impression cylinder 32 of the printing unit herein illustrated is intergeared with a blanket cylinder 250 which in turn is intergeared with a plate cylinder 251. Referring to Fig. 6, shaft 33 of impression cylinder 32 carries a gear 32 which meshes with a gear 179 on forward motion shaft 55 which is constantly driven and makes one revolution per cycle of the machine. Adjustably mounted on gear 179 there is a backlash gear 180 by means of which lost motion between gears 32 and 179 is eliminated. Gears 179, 180 mesh with a gear 181 and a backlash gear 182 on a rearward motion shaft 183. Gears 179, 180 and 181, 182 being of the same size, turn at the same speed but in opposite directions.

Outside of the frame member 31, shaft 55 carries a gear segment 184 which meshes at times with a gear 185 keyed to shaft 49; see Fig. 2. Adjustably attached to gear 185 there is a backlash gear 186. Gears 185, 136 mesh at times with a gear segment 187 on rearward motion shaft 183. On the shaft 55 there is a two armed bracket 188 on the inner side of which are journaled two rollers 189 and 190. Similarly on shaft 183 there is a two armed bracket 19]. to the rear side of which are journaled two rollers 192 and 193. Reverse motion shaft 49 carries a bnacket comprising a plate element 194 and a two armed element 195. Plate element 194 comprises four approximately radial cam shoes 196, 197, 198 and 199 which are positioned to be engaged at the proper time by driving rollers 190, 193, 192 and 189 respectively. Plate element 194 also carries roller followers 200 and 201 which are disposed to engage the perimeter of earns 202 and 203 which are formed at the extremities of the two arms of bracket 188. The element 195 near its ends carries roller followers 204 and 205 which are so positioned as to contact cam surfaces 206 and 207 respectively on the extremities of the two armed bracket 191.

The different parts of the reverse motion drive to shaft 49 are shown in Fig. 2 rat the beginning of a cycle, at which time the shaft is momentarily stationary. Driving roller 190 on the constantly moving forward motion shaft 55 is beginning to engage the outer end portion of cam shoe 196 on the reverse motion shaft. The contour of the shoe is such that roller 190, moving in its circular path rides onto the shoe smoothly and produces the desired acceleration, increasing the speed of the reverse motion shaft 49 from zero speed to the surface speed of the pitch line of gear segment 184. While this acceleration is going on roller follower 200 rides over the perimeter of cam 202. The interengagement of roller 200 with cam 202 is not for the purpose of accelerating the reverse motion shaft, that result being accomplished solely by the action of roller 190 on cam shoe 196. On the contrary the interaction between roller 200 and cam 202 functions merely to maintain engagement respect to the carriage.

b'etweenroller 190and cam shoe 1%, in other words to prevent shoe 196 from running aheadnf roller. 190.

-At the time acceleration is completed roller 190, will lie on the line of centers of shafts 55 "and 49 and will have entered cutout 208 in plate 194. At this point gear segment 184 will begin to mesh with gear 185, 186. As indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings shaft 49 will then rotate in the forward direction indicated by the arrow in that figure at constant speed for about of rotation of shaft 55, which advances the rack 43 to the position approximately of Fig. 4 and will move the forward edge of the sheet S into and slightly beyond the line of print between cylinders 32 and 250. At this point the gear segment 184 is about to go out of mesh with gear 185,

186 and roller 189 is about to begin its contact with the inner end of cam shoe 198. Now roller 189 begins to roll outwardly on cam shoe 198, retarding or decelerating shaft 49 gradually and smoothly, bringing the parts to the positions of Fig. 5. During this deceleration the back gauge 102 has been depressed below the surface of the table by means previously described.

As previously stated rearward motion shaft 183 rotates constantly at the same speed .as forward motion shaft 55 but in the opposite direction. At the point of the cycle illustrated in Fig. 5 driving roller 193 carried by shaft 183 is beginning to run onto cam shoe 197 which is attached to reverse motion shaft 49. Consequently shaft 49 begins to accelerate in the reverse direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 5. During this acceleration roller follower 205 on shaft 49 runs on the perimeter of cam 207, thereby holding roller 193 and cam shoe 197 in contact. Rack 43 will thereby be started on its rearward stroke, the back gauge 102 being below the surface of the table.

At the end of this motion of rearward acceleration roller 193 extends into a cut out 209 in plate 194, and gear segment 187 begins to mesh with gear 185, 186. Rearward constant speed motion of the rack then begins and continues for the same length of stroke as the forward motion, and at the end of such constant speed travel deceleration to zero speed takes place by virtue of roller 192 running outwardly on cam shoe 199, When the parts will again be in the position of Fig. 2 and a new cycle will start.

By means of relatively simple adjustments the machine is capable of feeding sheets under control of back gauges or under control of front gauges, that is to say the sheets may be registered at their rear edges or at their front edges. In plants for processing metal sheets for making containers various operations are performed on different machines. In some plants these machines are constructed to register the sheets at their rear edges and in others they are constructed to register them at their front edges. To get the best results the same registering method should be used throughout the different operations. The present machine can be adjusted to fit the requirements of plants using either system.

When sheets are to be registered at their rear edges, as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 19, the back gauges 102 must be brought to an operating position fixed with This condition is illustrated in Figs. .15 and 16 where the arm 104 carrying the back gauge is urged forward by spring 119 until head 109 contacts stop 110. Fig. 17 illustrates the sheet entering the bite of the cylinders 32 and 250. It is thus gripped by the cylinders, but the back gauges continue to exercise control until the front edge of the sheet has progressed somewhat further. Shortly after the sheet is gripped by the cylinders, the grippers 34 close upon the sheet and hold it against the cylinder 32 for a short distance to insure its being stripped from the blanket cylinder 250. At or before the front edge of the sheet reaches the position of Fig. 5, the grippers open to release the sheet and from that point on the progress of the sheet is controlled by the cylinders. The'points at which the sheet grippers 34 open and close are determined by the angular adjustment of the fixed cams 38, 38", Fig. 1, previously referred to.

When sheets are to be registered at their front edges, as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 20, the stop 1 is moved out of line with head 109, as shown in Fig. 12. Then front stops 211 are mounted on the grippers 34 by means of bolts and nuts 212 and 213 'and the cam 38 is adjusted to cause closing of the .grippers slightly before the point at which the sheet enters the cylinder bite as illustrated in Fig. 18. The back gauge 102 advance the sheet until it engages the front stops 211 which register the sheet, and the-n the grippers close upon it immediately.

Operation.The operation of the machine it is believed will be clear from the foregoing description, and therefore a brief rsum only will be given. Sheets coming off a pile feeder are deposited upon conveyor 20 which may be traveling at .a speed for example of 40 inches per cycle of the press, indicated on Fig. 22 as Printing Speed minus (a-l-b). When the rear edge of a sheet reaches the point p in that figure one of the pushers 23 on conveyor 21 takes it and continues its travel at a somewhat higher speed, for example 45 inches per cycle of the press, this speed being indicated on Fig. 22 as Printing Speed minus a. When a sheet is being advanced by the pusher marked 23a and the pusher reaches the position of Fig. 22 the acceleration of back gauges 102 and their upward and forward swinging due to the action of the descending track 75 combine to take the sheet at the speed of conveyor 21 and increase its speed smoothly to the constant speed forward travel of the racks and the carriage connected therewith, this smooth transition being indicated by the curve 218 in Fig. 23. This constant speed is the same as the speed of the sheet through the press.

The carriage upon which the back gauges are mounted also supports the side gauges and their associated parts. As previously stated the rear portion of this carriage, that is to say the brackets 94 and 95, the cross bars 96 and 97 and the shaft 139 may be adjusted backward and forward with respect to the racks 42 and 43 to compensate for different lengths of sheets to be fed. The brackets 143 are .adjusted laterally for properly side registering sheets of different widths and may be locked in adjusted position by the setscrews 144. Scales 215 are carried by the brackets 94 and 95 and have graduations thereon for setting the brackets 143, the latter having gauge lines 216 for the purpose.

The mechanism is so timed that at approximately the same moment that the rear edge of the sheet is taken by the back gauges 102, shaft 139 is turned to swing the forward ends of levers 140 and 141 inward to side register the sheet against the registering roller 142 on the right side of the machine. Stop 167 on the right side of the machine is adjusted to limit the travel of lever 141, thus providing a positive gauge pointfor theright side of the sheet. Stop 167 on the left side of the machine is set outwardly further than the corresponding stop on the right side so that it is not contacted by stop 166 on lever 140. When shaft 139 is turned both of the springs 161 and 161 are compressed, but owing to the larger space between stops 166and 167 at the left side of the machine, lever 140 may swing further than lever 141 so that sheets narrower than normal will 'be contacted by registering roller 142 on the left side of the machine and will be pushed over against the roller 142 on the right side to properly register the sheet agaisnt the latter roller. Also owing to the fact that spring 161' is weaker than spring 161 it will yield sufficiently to accommodate sheets of a Width slightly greater than normal.

It should be understood that if for any reason it is desired to register the left side of the sheet instead of the right side this can be done by interchanging the springs 161' and 161' and making the proper adjustments of stops 167.

A highly important feature of the invention when the sheets are being registered at their rear edges is the employment of means for eliminating lost motion, which is accomplished by the provision of backlash gears and preloaded type roller bearings for shafts'33, 49, 55 and 183. The provision of double roller followers for cams 56 and 57 and double roller followers contacting with the upper and lower flanges of tracks 58 and 75, prevent wear from interfering with accurate operation. The elimination of lost motion in the manner indicated provides accurate and unvarying drive from the printing machine to the reciprocating racks and carriage, and this accuracy combined with the long constant speed forward travel of the carriage giving time for the sheets to settle against the back gauges, insures the presentation of the sheets to the printing press at precisely the right moment relative to the image on the blanket cylinder. The inclination of the table 24 as illustrated also brings gravity into play to assist in settling the sheets against the back gauges. If desired driven magnetic rollers 217 may be employed in known manner to hold the forward portion of the sheet against the table.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a machine for feeding sheets to a printing or other sheet handling machine, means for preliminarily advancing sheets, a reciprocating carriage, means for reciprocating said carriage, said means embodying mechanism for producing uniform travel of the carriage during a given length of each forward stroke at the same speed as that of the sheet handling machine, a back gauge on said carriage adapted to take sheets from said preliminary advancing means, a pair of side gauges supported upon and moving with said carriage and means for moving at least one of said side gauges inwardly to gauging position during their forward travel.

2. A sheet feeding mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein said side gauge moving means and said means for reciprocating the carriage are operatively connected with a common drive means.

3. A sheet feeding machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the given length through which the sheet is advanced at the speed of said sheet handling machine is at least as great as one-sixth the length of the maximum sheet to be fed, and wherein said side gauges are in contact with the sheet throughout the major part of its uniform speed travel.

4. In mechanism of the character described, a sheet handling machine operating at a given speed, means for preliminarily advancing sheets toward said machine, a reciprocating carriage, a back gauge on said carriage adapted to take sheets from said preliminary advancing means, mechanism for moving said carriage forward at said given speed for a given distance, a pair of side gauges supported on said carriage, and means for moving said side gauges inwardly to gauging position at approximately the time said back gauges contact the sheet and maintaining them in said gauging position during the balance of said given distance, said last named means comprising a track disposed parallel to the path of movement of said carriage, said track moving up and down once for each machine cycle, and comprising also mechanism mounted on the carriage engaging said track.

5. Mechanism as defined in claim 4, wherein said given distance is at least as great as one-sixth the length of the maximum sheet to be handled.

6. In mechanism of the character described, a sheet handling machine operating at a given speed, means for preliminarily advancing sheets toward said machine, a reciprocating carriage, a back gauge on said carriage adapted to take sheets from said preliminary advancing means, a rack on said carriage, a transverse shaft, a pinion on said shaft meshing with said rack, means for oscillating said shaft forward and backward for each machine cycle, a pair of side gauges supported on said carriage, a cam rotating on a fixed axis, a track parallel to said rack raised and lowered by said cam, and means mounted on the carriage and set in motion by the movement of said track for moving said side gauges inwardly to sheet gauging position at approximately the time said 11 back gauge contacts the sheet and maintaining them in gauging position during the balance of sheet travel into said sheet handling machine. i

7. Mechanism as defined in claim 6, wherein said means for oscillating said shaft comprises a gear arranged to turn continuously once for each machine cycle, said cam turning with said gear.

8. In mechanism of the character described, means for feeding sheets to a sheet handling cylinder of a printing machine, a reciprocating carriage having a rack movable therewith, a back gauge on the carriage, driving means for reciprocating said carriage including gearing between said cylinder and said rack for driving the rack at constant speed during a portion of its forward travel and adjustable backlash gear means at each point of gear mesh of said gearing, whereby all backlash is removed from said gearing during constant speed forward travel of said rack.

9. Mechanism as defined in claim 8, wherein the length of said constant speed travel is equal to at least onesixth of the length of the maximum sheet to be handled.

10. In mechanism of the character described, a sheet handling machine operating at a given speed, means for preliminarily advancing sheets toward said machine, a reciprocating carriage, a back gauge on said carriage adapted to take sheets from said preliminary advancing means, a rack on said carriage, a transverse shaft, a driving pinion on said shaft meshing with said rack, a backlash pinion adjustable on said driving pinion also meshing with said rack, a train of gears between said machine and said transverse shaft for operating said shaft in reverse directions during each machine cycle, and backlash gears adjustably mounted on certain of the gears of said train for eliminating backlash in the drive to said shaft, said train of gears and said driving pinion functioning to transmit constant speed travel to said rack and carriage forwardly at said given speed for a distance at least equal to one-sixth of the length of the maximum sheet to be handled.

11. Mechanism as defined in claim 10, comprising means for swinging said back gauge downwardly and reanvardly below the path of travel of'the sheets during reverse travel of the carriage and for swinging it upwardly and forwardly to approximately a vertical position at the beginning of forward travel, said upward swinging movement being timed to cause said back gauge to contact the rear edge of a sheet while under control of said preliminary advancing means before said back gauge reaches its vertical position.

12. In mechanism of the character described, a conveyor for advancing sheets toward a sheet handling machine at less than the speed of said machine, a reciprocating carriage having back gauges thereon adapted to take sheets from said conveyor at a given distance from the machine and advance them to said machine at the speed of said machine, means for reciprocating said carriage, said means embodying mechanism for producing uniform travel of the carriage during a given length of each forward stroke at the same speed as that of the sheet handling machine, said mechanism also producing decelerating rearward travel of the carriage to zero speed in its reverse stroke and then accelerating it forwardly to bring it to said uniform travel portion of its forward stroke, said carriage being arranged to take sheets from said conveyor during the acceleration of said back gauges at the time their speed is substantially equal to the speed of the conveyor.

13. In a machine for feeding sheets to a printing couple comprising an impression cylinder, a reciprocating carriage having back gauges movable into and out of the sheet path for pushing the sheet into the line of print of said couple, said back gauges moving forwardly relative .to the carriage under spring pressure during forward, accelerationof the carriage, meansfor limiting the forwardmovement of said back gauges relative to the carriage at. a predetermined point on said carriage, whereby the sheet is rear registered, and manual means for withdrawing said limiting means whereby the sheet maybe front registered against stops on said impression cylinder.

14. In a machine for feeding sheets to a printing couple comprising an impression cylinder, said cylinder having sheet grippers and removable front stops, manually adjustable automatic means for closing said grippers either at the printing line or at a point forward thereof, a reciprocating carriage, movable back gauges on said carriage, a stop mounted upon the carriage, means for moving the back gauges forwardly under spring pressure into engagement with said stop for rear registration of the sheets at a fixed point on the carriage, said gripper closing means functioning when said front stops are removed to close said grippers after the front' edge of the sheet has passed the printing line, manual means for withdrawing said stop on the carriage, and manual means for operatively positioning said front stops on said cylinder, whereby said back gauges may be caused to force the sheet against the front stops on said cylinder for front end registration. I

15. In a machine of the class described, an impression cylinder and a cooperating printing cylinder, sheet grippers on said impression cylinder, front stops adapted to be disposed in operative relation with said grippers, means for moving said front stops out of said operative relation with said grippers, means for closing said grippers comprising a fixed cam angularly adjustable about the axis of said impression cylinder, whereby sheets may be front registered against said stops and the grippers closed at substantially the printing line between said cylinders, or whereby sheets may be fed through the printing line under the control of back gauges and the grippers closed thereafter.

16. In a machine of the class described, a reciprocating carriage having thereon a side gauge movable inwardly and-outwardly toward and away from sheet gauging position, means for moving said gauge inwardly during forward travel of said carriage, said means comprisingv a. transverse shaft on the carriage, a track parallel to the path of movement of the carriage, a follower running on said track, a lever on said carriage connectingsaid follower with said transverse shaft, means comprising a cam turning upon a fixed axis for moving both ends of said track simultaneously toward or away from said carriage path, and means actuated by the turning of said-shaft in one direction for transmitting inward movement to said side gauge.

17. In a machine of the class described, a reciprocating carriage having thereon side gauges movable inwardly' and outwardly toward and away from sheet gauging position, means for moving said gauges inwardly during forward travel of said carriage, said means comprising a transverse shaft on the carriage, a track parallel to the path of movement of the carriage, a follower running on said track, a lever on said carriage connecting said follower with said transverse shaft, means comprising a cam turning upon a fixed axis for moving both ends of said track simultaneously toward or away from said carriage path, and means actuated by the turning of said shaft in one direction for transmitting inward movement to said side gauges, said last named means comprising a springv at each side of the machine through which said inward movement is effected, said springs being of different strength and being interchangeable, whereby the line of side gauging may be shifted from one edge to the other of said sheets, and a stop to limit the inward movement of the gauge having'the weaker spring.

18. In apparatus for feeding metal sheets to a sheet handling machine, a carriage reciprocating toward and away from said machine, a pair of spaced back gauges on said carriage, a side gauge on said carriage disposed 

